Diamonds: The Greatest Marketing Scam Of All Time

A Diamond Is Forever, Right?

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Diamonds are a beautiful thing. Unbreakable. Forever lasting. And incredibly rare.

Giving your future wife a diamond engagement ring is the perfect way of saying: I love you.

It’s a sign of an unbreakable bond. Just as a diamond lasts forever, so will your love for each other.

Right?

Or maybe..

Maybe it’s just a rock.

A rock subject to the greatest marketing scam of all time.

Imagine a marketing campaign that convinces hundreds of millions of people in multiple different cultures to spend thousands of dollars on a rock with no inherent value whatsoever.

A marketing campaign that transforms this rock into something that’s deeply embedded in the traditions of different cultures around the world.

A marketing campaign that managed to link a rock to the deepest possible human emotion: Love.

Why do we assume we’re supposed to spend 2 months salary on a diamond engagement ring? Why do we believe we have to “surprise” our future wife with a diamond ring? Why do so many women want a diamond ring on their finger?

This is the story of diamonds. A story of lies, manipulative marketing and human gullibility.

Before we take a look at the greatest marketing scam of all time, let’s get some simple facts about diamonds straightened out.

This is where diamonds come from

1. Diamonds Are Not Rare

Diamonds are abundant. There are mines around the world absolutely filled with diamonds.

You can go into one of these mines and find millions of diamonds all over the floor.

Diamonds haven’t been rare since huge diamond mines were discovered in South Africa in 1870. Suddenly, diamonds…